NBC Picks Up Comedy Pilot From Kari Lizer

In what could be the last comedy pilot pickup at NBC this season, the network has given a cast-contingent order to a multi-camera comedy from The New Adventures of Old Christine creator Kari Lizer. The project, produced by Warner Bros. TV where Lizer is under an overall deal, is a workplace comedy about a relationship-challenged woman who, with the help of her co-workers, guides people through unexpected career transitions and downsizings. The comedy sparked a bidding war when it hit the marketplace in October, eventually landing at NBC with a production commitment. It brings Lizer back to NBC where she worked on Will & Grace for 4 years before segueing to developing. The pickup at NBC means that all of Lizer’s projects so far have gone to pilot. She previously developed during the 2004-05 season when she sold Christine to CBS and True to the WB. Both were ordered to pilot and Christine went on to become a series, which wrapped its 5-year run on CBS in May and earned star Julia Louis-Dreyfus a best comedy actress Emmy in 2005. A busy pickup season is winding down at NBC, which may pick up another couple of dramas and possibly one more comedy.